November 19, 2024, Class Update: Christ the King and in the Eucharist

Greetings everyone!

In the spirit of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, on November 24, our opening prayer was the song "Choral Fanfare for Christ the King", which was sung at Ascension before Masses on Sunday morning.  Some of its lyrics are similar to words in the first reading we heard at Mass from Daniel 7.  Christ the King Sunday is the final Sunday of the liturgical year.

The Rose Window in the back of Ascension Church, with Christ the King in the center, flanked by Alpha and Omega

Then we heard from Faye Homrok, one of my former students, who shared about her experience participating in Appalachian Service Project.  Thank you, Faye, for visiting us.

Then, in the spirit of All Saints' Day at the start of November, I shared a little about Pope St. John Paul II and St. Mother Katherine Drexel.

Next, we turned our attention to the Eucharist a great treasure*, as the presence of Christ comes to us in the forms of bread and wine.  We looked more closely at the words of the Eucharistic prayer, following along with this video of a priest reciting the words.

One part of the prayer I emphasized was the Doxology at the end, "Through Him..."  Father Mike Schmitz had some insights on those words in his presentation at the National Eucharistic Congress.

To conclude class, in the spirit of Thanksgiving Day, I played "I'm Not Lucky, I'm Blessed" a song that deeply resonated with me.

I remind everyone that our next class is on December 3.  We'll join with the Grade 7 class.  Since it will be Advent by then, we'll explore that liturgical season, and also continue learning about the Eucharist.

Thanks to those of you who have brought your monetary contributions to our class gift offering.  If you haven't done so already, the money is due on December 3.  Please remember that you can't ask you parents for it directly.  The money must come from allowance or from doing chores, like helping with any part of the Thanksgiving meal.

And for those who didn't submit a response to the activity on Blessed Carlo Acutis's website, you still have a chance to do so.  Please visit the last website post for the instructions.

You may remember signing a note for Cardinal Cupich.  I personally handed it to him last Sunday when I attended a special Mass for the 175th Anniversary of Holy Name Cathedral.  He was very pleased to receive it.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving Day this week, I pray you have a blessed time celebrating.  May this holiday remind you of what matters most in life and how God has filled our lives with His gifts.  May you be renewed in a spirit of Thanksgiving, just like when we celebrate the Eucharist at Mass, which is from the Greek word for Thanksgiving.

I know that I'm not just lucky, I'm blessed and I'm so grateful to God that I am your RE teacher, and I am praying for you.

We remain connected as One Church, brought alive by the gift of Jesus Christ, Who continues to offer Himself in the Eucharist:

All my relations.

God's blessings,

Paul

Thanks be to God for the gift of Christ in the Eucharist!

Above and below are views of the sanctuary of Christ the King Parish in Las Vegas, NV

*P.S. I played a clip from National Treasure, one of my favorite movies:  The map to the treasure is on the paper, along with Thomas Jefferson's eloquent words, just as the great treasure of Christ's presence comes to us in the forms of bread and wine.